"In 2024, my husband and I decided we would get a loft extension. We'd been saving and planning for years. Finally, our daughters -ages 8, 10, 12, and 15 - would have their own bedrooms in our London home. But there was a small issue: We could only afford to proceed with the project if we moved in with my in-laws for the duration."
"I secretly love the chaos that being a mom-of-four brings, but when you move that chaos into someone else's home and your mess becomes something you're constantly aware of, it can feel suffocating. especially when there's nowhere to escape and every room serves multiple purposes. The random nook with a printer and desk transformed into a bedroom for my 10-year-old, for example."
A family of six moved into the husband's parents' home temporarily to afford a loft extension that would give four daughters separate bedrooms. The arrangement compressed daily life, reducing privacy and forcing improvised spaces, such as converting a printer nook into a child's bedroom. Cultural differences and nearly two decades of mismatched habits produced recurring emotional collisions. A large extended family and constant visitors made routines, bedtimes, and working from home difficult. Early commutes and exhaustion became common. The experience generated both strain and surprising emotional realizations, including an unexpected longing for multigenerational living.
Read at Business Insider
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